High glucose couples DJ-1 with PTEN to activate PDGFRβ for renal proximal tubular cell injury
2025

DJ-1 and PTEN in Diabetic Kidney Disease

publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Choudhury Goutam Ghosh, Das Falguni, Ghosh-Choudhury Nandini, Kasinath Balakuntalam S., Sharma Kumar, Murugan Avaniyapuram Kannan

Primary Institution: UT Health San Antonio

Hypothesis

DJ-1 may cooperate with PDGFRβ to activate mTORC1 in the accumulation of matrix proteins during the progression of renal fibrosis.

Conclusion

The study reveals that DJ-1 and PTEN play crucial roles in the activation of PDGFRβ signaling, contributing to renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease.

Supporting Evidence

  • High glucose increases DJ-1 expression in renal proximal tubular cells.
  • DJ-1 interacts with PTEN to activate the Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathway.
  • Inhibition of DJ-1 reduces high glucose-induced hypertrophy and matrix protein expression.
  • Overexpression of DJ-1 mimics the effects of high glucose on renal cells.
  • PTEN acts as a phosphatase for PDGFRβ, regulating its activation.

Takeaway

When people with diabetes have high blood sugar, a protein called DJ-1 helps another protein, PTEN, to activate signals that can harm kidney cells, leading to kidney problems.

Methodology

The study used human proximal tubular epithelial cells exposed to high glucose to investigate the interactions and signaling pathways involving DJ-1, PTEN, and PDGFRβ.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the specific cell lines used and the experimental conditions that may not reflect all aspects of diabetic kidney disease.

Limitations

The study primarily focuses on in vitro models, which may not fully replicate in vivo conditions.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0311828

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